LV EN RU DE FR

Strategic Management of Agribusiness

Course abstract

To gain knowledge of Agri-Food business strategic management theory, the essence of its principles and instruments for strategy planning and on this knowledge based skills for strategy implementation, using innovative project management theory, practice and information about financial support instruments (EU funds), as well Quality management theory & practice.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge
• Demonstrate knowledge of contemporary theory and techniques of economics and business administration - discussions, case studies, debate, individual and group work on problem tasks, exam
• Utilize scientific research in business administration - discussions, case studies, debate, individual and group work on problem tasks, exam

Skills
• Evaluate competitive situation in their field of operation to design management and marketing strategies for improvement of the competitive position of their organisation in global marketplace - discussions, individual and group work
• Demonstrate effective communication and networking skills in modern society - discussions
• Organize and participate in joint decision making process - discussions, group work
• Demonstrate ethical and socially responsible leadership and management skills in the context of global marketplace, complex organisations and multinational teams - discussions, group work.
• Demonstrate understanding of global issues in context of agricultural business, concerning social, economic, political and environmental problems - discussions, individual and group work
Competence
• is able to perform the analysis of industry development tendencies and opportunities of strategic response to them - individual and group work
• is able to create insights, scenarios and prognoses based on the analysis of data and information, as well as quality assurance requirements - individual and group work

Course Content(Calendar)

1. Essence and schools of Strategic and Project Management.
2. Typology of business systems: national, regional and clustered business systems. Research methodology on business ecosystem and quality assurance.
3. Strategic analysis methodology of Agri-food business sector.
4. Analysis of external environment.
5. Analysis of resources and competencies of organisation/farm.
6. Analysis of strategic alternatives and techniques of scenarios creation and prognosis in the context of the economy/industry change.
7. Design of business development models and strategy implementation planes.
8. Organisation of strategic management and best practices.
9. Agri-food business quality management theory & practice, safety and risk management, its implementation instruments and resources..
10. General principles of occupational health and safety measures and the implementation of internal controls.
11. Total Quality Management (TQM) theories (assumptions and principles) and best practices (methods and techniques).
12. Six sigma methodology and elements. Realization of requirements of ISO 9000 series standards.
13. The Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control (DMAIC) method for improvement process.
14. Excellence Models. Self-Assessment Procedures According Different Excellence Models. National and International Quality Awards.
15. Agri-Food business development opportunities under the long-term strategies for the competitiveness grow through innovations and the use of business support national & international programs and financial investment mechanisms.
16. Theories and methodological aspects of business’ project management.
17. Methodological aspects for the business projects’ implementation organizational structure, time and resource planning, also team building.
18. Business project budget planning methods and requirements for the application preparation and its evaluation criteria in order to get the financial support.
19. Business project risk management, implementation progress monitoring, controlling.
20. Project’s horizontal policies, procurement procedures and reporting plans.
21. Project ending, results and outcomes, good practices dissemination and added value & continuity planning.

Requirements for awarding credit points

Student achievement will be evaluated by the survey of their activities during the lectures and exercises using frontal or oral interview techniques and method of case study. A ten-point criterion-based scale and cumulative assessment system will be applied.
1. Problematic tasks (strategy plan and innovative project application)
2. Problematic tasks presentation and activity during exercises
3. Examination

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Problematic task- strategy plan and innovative project application

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Individual work – 30%
Presentation - 10%
Examination -60%

Compulsory reading

1. Aaker D.A. (2008) Strategic market management - John Willey and Sons.
2. Mintzberg H. (1998) Strategy Safari: A guided tour through the wilds of strategic management. – London: Prentice Hall. – 406 p.
3. Evans, J.R., Lindsay, W.M. (2009). The management and control of quality. South-Western Cengage Learning.
4. Risk Management and Quality Improvement Handbook, July 2013. http://www.achs.org.au/media/69305/risk_management_and_quality_
improvement_handbook_july_2013.pdf
5. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Project Management Institute, 2016
6. Larson E.w., Gray C.F. Project management. The managerial process. McGraw-Hill, Irwin, 2010. 5th ed. 691 p.

Further reading

1. Craig S., Fleishner Babette, E. Bensoussan (2015). Business and Competitive Analysis: Effective application of new and classical methods. Pearson Ed.
2. Multi-level issues in strategy and methods. (2005). Vol 4. Ed. by F. Dansereau, F.J. Yammarino. -Elsevier.
3. Robert, M. (2006). The new strategic thinking. - McGraw-Hill.
4. Cases in contemporary strategy analysis/ edited by Robert M. Grant, Kent E. Neupert (2001) – Oxford: Blackwell Publ: Formulation, Implementation, and Control. 7-th ed. - Irwin, McGraw-Hill.
5. Thompson Arthur A., Strickland III Jr. A. J. (2001) Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. 12-th ed. – McGraw-Hill, Irwin. - 1026 p.
6. Heijden van der K. (2003). The Sixth Sense: Accelerating Organizational Learning with Scenarios. – John Wiley & Sons, LTD.

Periodicals and other sources

1. Strategic Management Journal http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/2144/home?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
2. Risk Management Tools https://www.mitre.org/publications/systems-engineering-guide/acquisition-systems-engineering/risk-management/risk-management-tools
3. Quality resources. The world's most comprehensive library of quality resources. https://asq.org/quality-resources/
International Journal of Project Management / Open Access articles. Elsevier Ltd. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02637863